J-POP is the shortening of English words “Japanese Pop”, which is used to denote Japanese commercial music. Sometimes we can also see the term “J-Rock” which denotes Japanese rock music. Many otakus are fans not only of anime and manga, but also of Japanese commercial music, and not just because we can often hear it in anime. And, doubtlessly, J-POP has its own separate fandom which does not depend on otakus. What differs Japanese commercial music so greatly from, say, its American, European and Russian analogs?
Just like Russia (and unlike Europe and America), Japan belongs to the cultures that put the song component of commercial music above the dance one. In other words, it is more typical of the Japanese to sing to music than to dance to it. That’s why songs must be in Japanese (in the language they understand), they must be melodious and have at least some sense.
The most widespread Japanese way of getting pleasure from a song is singing karaoke, usually when you are a bit drunk. Then comes going to concerts, TV-programs and so on. On the whole, the visual component of shows and clips is not less, sometimes more important, than musical performance itself.
It is important to note that Japanese pop-music is professional and well-organized. Not a single sane producer will put on stage just anyone. The number of people who got to the stage with the help of their relatives is close to zero. In Japan there is a developed system of concerts by non-professional performers whose winners can rely on getting professional contracts. There is also a developed system of fan clubs and production of different items connected with favorite performers, up to video games with their participation.
The key notion of the modern Japanese music is the word “idol”. The “idol” is an attractive male/female singer who has a fine melodious voice and sings aesthetically beautiful songs which are nice to sing in karaoke. That’s what a typical popular Japanese performer is like.
In general, it’s not characteristic of Japan to use the social protest music as a means of getting money. That’s why Japanese commercial music does not usually contain this protest in an express way, it concentrates on technical excellence of performance and melody. And the music popular with youth surely includes heavy music (say, “X-Japan”), rock music (“Glay”), dance music, rap and other radical formats, which, nevertheless, focus not on the protest, but on giving certain aesthetic pleasure to the viewer.